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The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed cut the ribbon, last Saturday, at their new environmental center, a great example of green architecture.

The building has been LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which means that it meets particular high standards in a “whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality,” according to the NJ US Green Building Council.

The Watershed installed, in the new building, geothermal for heating and cooling, a green roof to reduce runoff and provide insulation, solar panels to meet most (if not all) of the building’s energy needs, large windows for passive solar lighting, solar hot water system, a rainwater harvesting system, a rain garden, and a wetlands-based wastewater treatment system.

Below check out some photos from the opening. And when you’re in the area, make sure you check out the center for yourself!

Mary Galioto is the founder, publisher and editor of MercerMe, and a lawyer. Originally from Brooklyn, Mary has progressively moved deeper and deeper into New Jersey, settling in the heart of the state: Mercer County. Formerly the author of an embarrassingly informal blog, Mary is a lifelong writer and asker of questions and was even mentioned, albeit briefly, in the New York Times and Washington Post. In her free time, Mary fills her life with excessive self-reflection, photographing mushrooms, and misguided adventures in random hobbies.
Mary also works as the PR Coordinator at the Hopewell Valley Arts Council, serves on the volunteer Board of Trustees of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT), serves on the Hopewell Borough Board of Health, is a member of the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance, and holds the elected position as the Hopewell Borough Democratic Committee Municipal Chairwoman.